Qin Yuxiang knew nothing about cars, but upon seeing the Porsche before her, she couldn't help but be awestruck.
"Get in!"
Lin Xiao Tian gestured for Qin Yuxiang to board.
Qin Yuxiang seemed a bit out of sorts. After some hesitant fidgeting, she finally entered the car.
Lin Xiao Tian and Qin Yuxiang sat in the back seat. For safety, Lin Xiao Tian fastened the seatbelt for Qin Yuxiang.
"This thing is quite complicated to buckle," Qin Yuxiang said somewhat sheepishly.
She rarely left her home, and while she was adept at housework, her experience with the outside world was limited, to the point where she wasn't even familiar with how to fasten a seatbelt.
"It's not complicated, I'll show you." Lin Xiao Tian finished speaking and then thoughtfully demonstrated it for Qin Yuxiang.
As they were close together while fastening the seatbelt, Qin Yuxiang's delicate face flushed instantly as she felt Lin Xiao Tian's breath.
Liang Xu, with great tacit understanding, didn't start the car. He waited for Lin Xiao Tian to finish demonstrating before slowly driving off.
As the Porsche passed the bus stop, it drew the attention of countless people.
Lin Xiao Tian spotted the middle-aged woman who had previously mocked him. Beside her now stood a young man.
The young man bore a slight resemblance to her; he was likely the son she had mentioned.
"Wow! A Porsche! I never expected to see one here!" The young man's eyes were filled with envy.
"It's just a car with four wheels, isn't it? It's so small, and it must be uncomfortable to ride in. The bus is much more pleasant." The middle-aged woman scoffed.
In reality, she was immensely envious of the car. But seeing Lin Xiao Tian inside, and recalling how he had repeatedly put her down before, the woman became jealous.
"Oh, Mom, you don't understand. This Porsche is a sports car. Not only is it fast, but it's also much more comfortable than a bus," the young man explained.
Men's love for cars was akin to women's love for handbags; the essence was the same.
"Comfortable, my foot! What's the use of running fast? Rushing to your death? You useless thing, you earn so much money in the city, yet you can't even afford a small car. I even worked so hard to send you to school!" The middle-aged woman couldn't help but scold him.
"Mom! Prices in the city are exorbitant! My meager salary is mostly gone after paying rent each month. Where would I get the money to buy a car?"
The middle-aged woman was so angry that she was about to retort when she saw Lin Xiao Tian glance out the car window.
Immediately, the woman rolled her eyes and pretended not to see Lin Xiao Tian.
The car slowly pulled away from the bus stop.
Ordinarily, Liang Xu would drive a bit faster. On one hand, Lin Xiao Tian trusted his driving skills; on the other hand, Lin Xiao Tian disliked wasting too much time on the road.
However, this time, because of Qin Yuxiang, Liang Xu deliberately slowed down.
"Xiao Tian, look, this is Yuehai Village. I used to live in this village."
As they passed each stop, Qin Yuxiang would gaze around like a curious child.
"Xiao Tian, do you know? Although Yuehai Village is small, even smaller than Jinsha Village, we have a primary school!"
"Several university students have come out of our village too!"
"If I hadn't been poor back then, if my family had the money to send me to junior high, perhaps I would be a university student now too."
As she said this, a look of regret crossed Qin Yuxiang's face.
But she quickly realized her words.
"Xiao Tian, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by it." Qin Yuxiang looked at Lin Xiao Tian with deep apology.
Lin Xiao Tian had also had great potential to go to university. Unfortunately, due to an accident, he had been mentally impaired for several years, thus missing the opportunity to become a university student.
"It's alright, this is fine too." Lin Xiao Tian shrugged his shoulders with great composure.
Not being able to go to university was a lifelong regret for him. After all, with his grades back then, getting into a top university would have been effortless.
But in the end, it was a blessing in disguise. Lin Xiao Tian became intellectually impaired, but he also became stronger as a result.
After inheriting the Shen Nong Medical Codex, Lin Xiao Tian's life became a series of unprecedented successes.
Even if he had followed the conventional path and completed university, he would never have achieved such accomplishments.
They chatted along the way. Qin Yuxiang told Lin Xiao Tian about her past, including the peers from her village.
Because she and her mother were refugees from elsewhere, their status in the village had always been rather low.
Her mother's health was not good, so she couldn't earn much. Yet, even so, she tried her best to fund Qin Yuxiang's education.
Children of the poor mature quickly. Although Qin Yuxiang was young then, seeing how hard her mother worked, she had suggested dropping out of school.
But no matter what she said, her mother refused. Furthermore, her mother seemed to have a strong attachment to education. While many children in the village had dropped out to work, her mother, even without eating or sleeping, insisted on Qin Yuxiang attending school.
It was precisely because of this that her mother, worn down by overwork, eventually passed away one year when the village suffered a disaster, leaving Qin Yuxiang an orphan.
Fortunately, with government support at the time, she didn't starve, but she could no longer continue her studies.
Later, when Qin Yuxiang grew a bit older, she started working in the village. The village also allocated land to her, and Qin Yuxiang could support herself.
Then, through an introduction, she met Li Dazhu.
In the mountainous rural areas, many villages still followed the system of arranged marriages, and Yuehai Village was no exception. Qin Yuxiang had only met Li Dazhu once before their marriage was settled.
Qin Yuxiang couldn't say she was in love with Li Dazhu, but after so many years of being alone, she yearned for a family of her own. Moreover, everyone around her was doing the same, so she didn't object.
But who would have thought that Li Dazhu would eventually run away, leaving her with a pile of debt?
"Xiao Tian, am I boring you by telling you all this?" Qin Yuxiang had gotten carried away and only realized after a while.
Lin Xiao Tian shook his head resolutely. "No! Sister Yuxiang, no matter what you say, I won't find it boring!"
Looking at the incredibly sincere Lin Xiao Tian before her, Qin Yuxiang felt as if she could hear her own heartbeat, thump... thump...
At this moment, the car arrived at the county town.
Although the county town was not as far as Jiangcheng, the road to it was a county road, and it also included a winding mountain road. The total travel time was more than double that to Jiangcheng.
By the time Lin Xiao Tian arrived, it was already two in the afternoon.
Since the Civil Affairs Bureau reopened at half-past two, there were no staff members available. Thus, Lin Xiao Tian decided to find a place to rest in the county town first.
While this was called a county town, its level of prosperity was less than that of a suburb of Jiangcheng. The surrounding roads were also narrow. Liang Xu had to drop Lin Xiao Tian off first and then go park the car far away.
"Sister Yuxiang, there's a small eatery ahead. It seems to have air conditioning. Shall we go there?"
"Okay." Qin Yuxiang nodded obediently.
Just as they took a few steps forward, a voice from behind called out to them.
"Yuxiang?"
"Are you Yuxiang?"